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Hey Pandas, Share A Trait Of Yours That You Used To Feel Insecure About That You Now Love (Closed)
It can be a physical or an emotional trait. The sky's the limit, just keep it appropriate, please!
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My honesty.
I've been put down a lot, especially on BoredPanda, about the way I communicate.
I've recently been diagnosed with autism, and my psychologist says that it completely stops me from being able to read body language, emotional cues and subtext. This means that I can't tell when I offend people because I can't read people.
A lot of people hate me now, but I wish they'd just help me to understand.
But my honesty comes with a good side: I have an incredibly strong sense of justice and fairness. I have often stepped into situations where people have been bullied, harassed, sexually assaulted... etc, and I fight for them in any way I can.
Physical traits:
- My two-toned lips
- My dark skin tone
- Rounded teeth that make My teeth look like they have gaps
- The fact that i am REALLY hairy
Emotional Traits
- My energetic/hyper personality(i used to be called annoying for it but now, i got real friends who tell me that my personality gives them energy)
It was a long journey embracing these traits. but now i'm really proud of them :D
Being "too much".
I can be very intense about my interests and worldviews, which got me bullied when I was a child. Now I happily embrace it. There's nothing more soul-crushing than talking to a person with no real passions or weird interests. No, thanks. I'd rather be too much than nothing.
Complimenting my guy friends. To some, it still is a little weird when a guy compliments another guy. I used to give little compliments because I genuinely felt that the person needed to hear it, but oftentimes people thought I was trying to hit on them, proceeding to ask if I was gay. I'm not, fyi, as if that's something to harass someone for in the first place.
Who knew all I needed was another guy who thought the same way as me? Now me and my friend compliment each other as well as other guys, and now people are a lot more open minded to take the compliments without feeling like they're being flirted on.
It's weird isn't it, that girls are able to compliment each other so easily without anyone thinking it is more but boys often can't? And if it is someone of the opposite gender it is also often thought of as flirting. It's quite annoying because I think the world would be a much better place if people gave more compliments.
My curiosity. I read up a lot and try to get as much information on stuff I was curious about. People still look at me weirdly when I state eabekm facts. Finally got to a point where I don't care and just say the things I'm interested in to people with mutual interest.
Yes! My ex-friends used to say that I was really annoying and I should just keep my mouth shut because I told them random facts I found on the internet. Now, my new friends think what I say is interesting. I am so grateful for them!
My nose!! I always wanted one of those cute, perky noses. Once I realized that my nose is Roman, regal .. a statement nose .. I fell in love with it!
I also have an aquiline/Roman nose and I used to really hate it but I've realized it make sme look way more masculine and is probably one of my best physical traits. Weird noses ftw
Physically pretty much everything. I hated how I looked pretransition and now I'm really confident in my appearance. Emotionally, literally nothing lmao
I've always looked young for my age. It used to be embarrassing, now in my 50s it is great!
It's also good when you can get things for the child price :) I think I was 'under 14' until I was well into my 20s.
My curiosity, for starters. I'm always asking questions and reading about things that catch my interest. My looks, everything about the way I look. I'm a very self-conscious person. Still am but I feel better about myself. And my talkativeness (is that how to say it? idk) I'm quite the chatterbox with people I know, even more so with close friends. I used to think I was annoying but I've accepted that it's just me. And for everyone else, accept your insecurities. You are you, and you are amazing and beautiful
My scars.
When I was a little kid, I had these horrid rashes from my wrist up to my shoulder. I scratched it until it bled, even though my Mom tried to get me to stop.
When we finally found a doctor who could help, I already had sooo many scars.
I used to be frustrated that my arms didn't tan smooth...they tan all speckled and splotchy because the scar-tissue always stays white. But now I think it's pretty awesome. Nobody else gets the fancy pattern of tanned/white because half of my skin is scar-tissue and the other half is normal.
My eyes cuz they are just brown and I used to really hate that but now I’m okay with it. Also my really fluffy hair
my laugh, my face, my body, my personality, my hair, my clinginess. it’d be easier to say what i’m not insecure about.
i would say my weird sense of style. people make comments about it, but honestly, I don't give two flying f***s what other people think
My love of reading. I read any book I can get my hands on. I thought I was a nerd. Then I found the right friends that liked reading as much as I do. Also the bow in my lips. I thought it was ugly. Now I think it’s pretty.
Reading is something I have to do! I usually always have a book on me because you never know when you'll have down time. I will even bring a book to the bar! There is a guy there that calls me book lady!
my smile mostly
My acne! I used to get so upset abt it but now I'm loving it bcs barely anyone else has it so I'm even more unique!!!! :)
It's great you can embrace it like that! My sister still worries about her acne and red cheeks quite a bit and always covers them with so much make up but I think she looks beautiful without it. It is also a family trait (well one side of the family at least) so I think it's nice to have a connection like that, but I have never had much acne so I don't feel I can really say 'don't worry about it' because I don't have to deal with it myself.
I would say my whole body-always so self conscious about it-my ex husband never had anything nice to say about me so that just made me more insecure but when we broke up & I was out there in the world of dating again after 20 years, it definitely gave me a big boost of confidence
My laugh. My friend jokingly told me I sound like a hyena, and I thought that was hilarious, but I started overthinking it and I was really insecure about it for a while. I've learned to love it, though. Hyenas are cool :)
I’ve been asking those I’m close to if I sound more like a dolphin or crow, because I think it’d be cool to sound like a bird and look like one with my nose. But I’ve also learned that people can have different laughs? Like, there’s the “I can’t breath my side hurts,” and then the “that’s funny!” And the courtesy laugh, and the smirk…
my unique name. I used to hate that it was spelled weird but now I love being different -Mali
My name is reallllly weird. I found it frustrating that I couldn’t find a definite meaning for it, and my mom apparently came up with it on the fly. And, there’s too many ways to spell it. It’s guaranteed that someone who asks for my name will not get it right on the first try, and will not know how to spell it ever.
My pug nose. As a kid I really believed it would grow out! The ironic thiNG is, growing up my non-biological brother used to call me Pig-Nosed Ziggy. And he had THE. EXACT. SAME. NOSE.
My personality/emotional traits:
-My introversion. It took me a while to realize I was naturally withdrawn, not just because of Lockdown. And it took a while to realize that I was like that BEFORE Lockdown, too.
-My lack of reaction or emotion in situations. I used to think something was wrong with me, because I didn’t cry when we lost a family member. And my extroverted friends react and constantly are making these faces that show their emotions so well, and I just awkwardly grin to show my happiness.
Physical Traits:
-My nose. I have a hawk nose, the one that isn’t straight. It kind of goes onto a hill and then resumes the rest of the way. Really nifty for glasses, honestly. But one of my uncles once asked if I had broken it or something, and ever since then I’ve been sensitive about it and unhappy. But I need to accept that it’s the way I am and I should be happy about it. I look better with glasses anyways.
-my neck. Ever since I could read, I was bent over a book. I think this messed with my posture and only recently has it come to my attention. It makes me look so dopey T-T but I’m working on fixing it.
-My stick arms. I’m fine with them, it’s just that I’m more built everywhere else except my neck and arms and it kind of looks funny lol.
But I love my body. My soul doesn’t want any other, even if it’s more, uh, female than I’d like. But still. It gives me an excuse to wear big hoodies, which I love to wear :3 and my face… there’s other redeeming qualities that make up for some things I dislike. Overall I just think I could shed a few pounds, but then again my BMI is healthy so I don’t really know what to do lol
my accent.
i used to hate the way i sound when im speaking english, and im still trying to learn to love it, but i think im getting there. i sound like some sort of mafia boss lol.
Say stuff like "Well, John Wasn't Exactly 'The Boogeyman.' He Was The One You Sent To Kill The F***ing Boogeyman." in your slavic accent. Win internet.
I've always looked young for my age. It used to be embarrassing, now in my 50s it is great!
I have a drawing talent! I used to draw dragons constantly, and as an eleven year old, I was pulling out what I now realize is some freaking AMAZING art, but my dad would brush it off and tell my to stop drawing those "f**king lizards" and do something useful. I also got nitpicked about my hair and my tendency and tap my feet when I'm anxious. A few years later, I love these things, and I'm much more confident - despite what my dad may think.
My curiosity of learning. I was always made fun of because I wanted to learn about everything as a little kid. My teachers would chastise me when I went off script by asking questions (only later found out they were in the class like 3 months down the road.)
I would devour knowledge and due to a law that came out in Florida when i was in elementary school we had to wait for the slowest child to learn the subject before we moved on. I never did my homework because i would gather all the knowledge in class and test time i would always get 90%+ scores.
It made me hugely self-conscious and i was constantly getting yelled at because i never did my homework. I showed knowing the topic through my amazing test grades and still got yelled at constantly.
I made it through highschool and was promised i would get credits for teaching a course as an elective as the school didn't have anything and it was my passion, computers, i was self taught (after learning MSDos with my father) and when it came day to graduate my last year i was told i was missing a credit and summer school was only half a credit so i would have to do another year for half a credit. I noped out, got my GED with zero study and passed easily.
Now a days I actually find my craving for knowledge to be great. It's helped so much and i love it but it's also painful as i remember all the stress i heartache i had to endure because the only person who knew my level of learning was me and at every turn as a kid i was stifled and chastised, not cultivated and the only thing i can say is teachers need to recognize this and support this curiosity in learning.
Its a bitter sweet victory as I've learned so much on my own of computers, hardware and software, sciences, art, psychology, vehicle maintenance. I am self taught and my life has been enriched. My childhood still causes me depression and anxiety and that all could have been avoided.
That is so sad. You should have been encouraged! Learning is awesome! It is a great thing, definitely not bad
My independence. I’m often alone but rarely lonely.
I thought I was somehow broken in my 20s and 30s. Everyone else found their soul mate (often more than just one over time) as I watched the tadpoles in my pond grow legs, surprise themselves by hopping out of the water (the only environment they’d ever known) and into a new world. On their own.
At 66 now, I have memories of four continents, four languages learned, three of them largely forgotten. I’ve hiked the Andes with a shaman, sledded 10km down one of the Alps near Davos on my belly on a plastic red sled, lived (and played in) an unswept WWII mine field across the street from our house in the early 1960s (what was my mother thinking?? — that she had more kids) near Koln, Germany, explored icy black beaches in hurricane winds in Iceland,, experienced the beauty of both the dry and wet seasons near Mumbai in India, stood at the precipice of a volcano in Costa Rica and many more.
I wouldn’t give up any of it. I’ve had a good run. And I’ve still got all my fingers and toes.
I met lots of people along the way.
Don’t let “too expensive” or “not enough time” or “too scary” keep you from exploring what’s over the next hill. Go on the cheap, quit your job, go now because the world we live in (like the one I lived in) will be gone soon.
This very closely describes me. Get out there and DO. When I die I want it from being worn out, not rusted out. I'm almost 73 and am still DOing, tho' at a slower pace!
I used to hate my eyes and hair because to be pretty I should have blonde hair and blue eyes, right? Nah, I love my hair and my eyes, they’re both light brown/hazel and they make me think of the woods and outdoors, which fits me well.
As for the other way around, I used to be confident about my body but now realize I’m basically a really short stick figure sooooooo
How much I love animals! I used to think it was because I'm an only child, but now 🤷♂️
Me too! I talk to just about every animal I see. I just can't seem to help myself. Animals are the best!
How laid back I've always been. It takes a lot to make me angry and lash out, and I'm far more comfortable with alternate ways of living, people, etc. than most of those around me. I can see multiple perspectives.
I've been accused of "standing for nothing", "indecisive", "a people pleaser", "unemotional (this one during arguments)", etc.
This is just... me. I don't blow up at a moments notice. I DO feel emotion, strongly, and I feel anxiety and stress. I feel a full range of emotions, but even when they're riding me, for some reason, I just keep as calm as I can.
I tend to fall apart "later"... ugh.
I can see and understand different perspectives, so I can take a number of positions during discussions or arguments. People don't seem to like that. They don't seem to understand that you DO have your own lines in the sand, but that you're open to listening and learning and having discussions that doesn't drop into the pit of name calling, yelling, etc.
I dunno. I'm not a black and white kinda person. I see the gray, from end to end, and I embrace it. Taking situations, people, events, on an "as is" basis rather than painting everything over with a broad brush.
In my experience, people don't like that, but I just keep being me.
Sounds kind of like me, except I purposely try hard to make them think I’m not bothered :< storm clouds and rain on the inside, no expression on the outside. Okay, maybe I let a little dark cloud follow me around, but anyone who knows me well ignores it because it seems to stick around even when I’m happy. How many times have I fumed over watching people get at each others’ throats? Plenty of times. SO many times. It’s like a habit, instinct. Except it’s not my instinct? It’s kind of gross to watch, grown people going “you don’t agree with me, and won’t see reason, so obviously any experiences you’ve had that made you come to that conclusion are invalid and false, and you’re stupid.” Eh??? The thing I probably get worked up about is when people DO paint something completely black or white. It’s infuriating. Do you know how stupid you sound when you call an internet stranger stupid?
One of my ex girlfriends used to criticize anytime I sang anything and it took almost a decade to feel comfortable singing in front of people, now I love to sing even if the music is only in my head.
Physical trait:
I am VERY tall and I used to get bullied A LOT!
I'm usually the tallest person in my classes, but I've learned to accept that, and that it's a part of me that makes me unique.
Plus it helps with some of my hobbies, like for instance, I'm about the same speed as my dad when he runs (and he's fast). And I'm great at swimming. Now I have friends that make me feel good about my tallness.
Emotional/Personality trait:
I'm an introvert and really timid and a bit distrustful and I have a lot of trouble making friends, however, that's helped me in a lot of situations.
For one, it's helped me stay away from unsafe/dangerous people because it takes me two months (at the minimum) to trust someone, and usually, they show you their "true colors" by then.
I am a recovering alcoholic. I used to resent the fact that i am like this. As i have stayed sober and matured i have seen that my cure for this disease is to improve who i am on the inside.
To keep it simple.
I have to change who i am on the inside in order to stay sober.
Maturity does not mean boring.
POOP is still a funny word
It took me a long time to admit I was an alcoholic, but I just celebrated 22 years sober. That's not a brag. It's a way of remembering that I can achieve things I once thought were impossible. And, yes, POOP is funny. :)
My willingness to argue with people. Sometimes it helps a lot while other times it makes my life hell
Also how I get hyper when I talk about my favourite topic which is astronomy. My mom thinks it’s a waste of time but now I don’t care what she says
I'm low down the list, but MY HAIR. If any of you guys have seen me post pics of my hair before, it's VERY curly and frizzy, and if it gets combed/brushed when it's dry, it poofs into Cousin Itt. When I was a kid, I got mocked and teased really badly for my hair. I got called "Chia Pet" and worse things that really don't bear repeating. Kids would sometimes pull my hair or cut pieces off with scissors and then say they didn't believe it was real. It also used to take my mom hours to comb out my hair, and it always hurt terribly, as my mom was not gentle with the knots/tangles. Now I'm an adult and EVERYONE tells me how jealous they are of my curly hair and how they wish they had curly hair like mine (haha no u don't.) But I've made my peace with my hair and now I love it XD I'll add some fun photos in the comments XD
Here's what happens if I comb it out when it's dry XD the_hair-6...901ab6.jpg 
My ASD. It is really difficult to deal with other people and their emotions. I wish they'd all just be deadpan like me. Much easier to deal with. Anyway. I've learnt to just emulate the style of speech and body language of people around me and then they all feel comfortable. Meantime I know it's all fakery.
Telling a short story of my day, and the response is "uh, huh"
Being shorter than all my friends!
that's an advantage. you can get trip people easier >:)
